Job Information
Los Alamos National Laboratory Power Systems Engineer/Electrical Engineer (Scientist 2) in Los Alamos, New Mexico
What You Will Do
The lab invites you to join our team working to solve emerging problems related to critical infrastructure, with a focus on electric power distribution networks. You will work in an interdisciplinary environment with significant collaborative research and understand and follow standard software engineering practices to create high Technology Readiness Level (TRL) capabilities. You will primarily contribute to projects with LANL's Applied Energy Program Office and the DOE's Office of Electricity (OE) on projects related to power systems modeling, including control and optimization of networks under uncertainty, analysis of extreme events, design and evaluation of resilient networks, and analysis of interdependent networks.
We are looking for candidates with prior experience in phase unbalanced power distribution systems and microgrid modeling, simulation, optimization, and/or analysis. A successful candidate is expected to publish in peer reviewed journals and/or present their research at high profile conferences and workshops.
This position is part of LANL's Advanced Network Science Initiative (ANSI). ANSI performs basic and applied research focused on modeling and understanding the nation's critical infrastructure, such as electric power, natural gas, water, and communications systems. Our expertise covers statistics, stochastic methods, machine learning, control theory, dynamical systems, discrete and continuous optimization, statistical physics, and graphical modeling. More details on ANSI can be found at https://lanl-ansi.github.io/
What You Need
Minimum Job Requirements:
Proven record in power systems engineering or modeling.
Background in applied mathematics disciplines, e.g., optimization and control theory.
Programming experience in Julia (preferred), Python, C, and/or MATLAB.
Experience leading teams, mentoring, and/or writing proposals.
Demonstrated ability to work effectively and independently in a collaborative and multi-disciplinary scientific environment.
Demonstrated excellent oral and written skills.
Familiarity with the Common Information Model for power systems, including Extensible Markup Language (XML) and Unified Modeling Language (UML).
Ability to obtain a DOE Q security clearance, which generally requires U.S. citizenship.
Education/Experience: Position requires a Bachelor' degree in a STEM field from an accredited college or university and 4 years of related experience, typically with post-doctoral research experience at a university or national lab or equivalent experience directly related to the occupation.
Desired Qualifications:
Software engineering experience, especially collaborative software development using git.
Experience in multiconductor modeling of phase unbalanced power systems.
Experience in modeling power system control systems, esp. related to microgrids and protection devices.
Experience in building and working with Application Programming Interfaces (APIs).
Familiarity with open-source and commercial power distribution analysis tools.
A Ph.D. in electrical engineering, power systems engineer, or a related STEM field within the past 5 years is desired.
Work Location: The work location for this position is hybrid and is located in Los Alamos, NM. Hybrid is defined as working partially onsite/partially offsite but within 2 hours ground commute of this location. All work locations are at the discretion of management and can change at any time with appropriate notice.
Position commitment: Regular appointment employees are required to serve a period of continuous service in their current position in order to be eligible to apply for posted jobs throughout the Laboratory. If an employee has not served the time required, they may only apply for Laboratory jobs with the documented approval of their Division Leader. The position commitment for this position is 1 year.
Note to Applicants:
To apply, please use the "apply now" button below. Include a letter describing your research interests, a CV, a code sample, if available, and at least 3 references.
Where You Will Work
A-1 provides information and systems modeling to support national leaders responsible for making decisions when threats occur and to assist them in mitigating threats before they occur. We ensure the scientific and technological validity of our approaches by working closely with physicists, engineers, mathematicians, statisticians, computer scientists, and economists through interdisciplinary collaborations. Our typical customers include the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and other government agencies. Our work typically requires close collaborations both within the Laboratory between organizations, and outside the Laboratory, e.g., with universities, other National Laboratories, and contractors.
Located in beautiful northern New Mexico, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security. Our generous benefits package includes:
PPO or High Deductible medical insurance with the same large nationwide network
Dental and vision insurance
Free basic life and disability insurance
Paid childbirth and parental leave
Award-winning 401(k) (6% matching plus 3.5% annually)
Learning opportunities and tuition assistance
Flexible schedules and time off (PTO and holidays)
Onsite gyms and wellness programs
Extensive relocation packages (outside a 50 mile radius)
Additional Details
Directive 206.2 - Employment with Triad requires a favorable decision by NNSA indicating employee is suitable under NNSA Supplemental Directive 206.2 (https://directives.nnsa.doe.gov/supplemental-directive/sd-0206-0002) . Please note that this requirement applies only to citizens of the United States. Foreign nationals are subject to a similar requirement under DOE Order 142.3A.
Clearance: Q (Position will be cleared to this level). Selected applicants will be subject to a background investigation conducted by or on behalf of the Federal Government, and must meet eligibility requirements* for access to classified matter. This position requires a Q clearance. and obtaining such clearance requires US Citizenship except in extremely rare circumstances. Dependent upon the position, additional authorization to access classified information may be required, which may or may not be available to dual citizens. Receipt of a Q clearance and additional access authorization ultimately is a decision of the Federal Government and not of Triad.
*Eligibility requirements: To obtain a clearance, an individual must be at least 18 years of age; U.S. citizenship is required except in very limited circumstances. See DOE Order 472.2 (https://www.directives.doe.gov/directives-documents/400-series/0472.2-BOrder-chg1-pgchg) for additional information.
New-Employment Drug Test: The Laboratory requires successful applicants to complete a new-employment drug test and maintains a substance abuse policy that includes random drug testing. Although New Mexico and other states have legalized the use of marijuana, use and possession of marijuana remain illegal under federal law. A positive drug test for marijuana will result in termination of employment, even if the use was pre-offer.
Regular position: Term status Laboratory employees applying for regular-status positions are converted to regular status.
Term position: Regular-status Laboratory employees applying for term-status positions may retain regular status with approval of the cognizant Principle Associate Director.
Internal Applicants: Regular appointment employees who have served the required period of continuous service in their current position are eligible to apply for posted jobs throughout the Laboratory. If an employee has not served the required period of continuous service, they may only apply for Laboratory jobs with the documented approval of their Division Leader. Please refer to Policy Policy P701 (https://int.lanl.gov/policy/documents/P701.pdf) for applicant eligibility requirements.
Equal Opportunity: Los Alamos National Laboratory is an equal opportunity employer and supports a diverse and inclusive workforce. All employment practices are based on qualification and merit, without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation or preference, marital status or spousal affiliation, physical or mental disability, medical conditions, pregnancy, status as a protected veteran, genetic information, or citizenship within the limits imposed by federal laws and regulations. The Laboratory is also committed to making our workplace accessible to individuals with disabilities and will provide reasonable accommodations, upon request, for individuals to participate in the application and hiring process. To request such an accommodation, please send an email to applyhelp@lanl.gov or call 1-505-665-4444 option 1.